If you want your kids to get bullied and come back home with cuts and bruises everyday, then by all…read moremeans send your kid here. The teachers and staff don't do anything about bullying and will avoid all responsibility. STAY AWAY FROM GODDARD IF YOU VALUE YOUR KID

Military Families, READ THIS!!! We Paid DEARLY!! PCS Movers PLAN AHEAD!!…read moreWe are a Midwest military family new to the area and were in desperate need of daycare for our two children, a toddler and a pre-K child. Despite our best efforts to be good parents, we didn't do enough prep and research. After just two days of attendance (YES, TWO DAYS), we were forced to make the decision to disenroll. Each day, my baby girl came home with fresh scratches on her face and neck. When I arrived to pick up their belongings after disenrollment, I saw why. The teachers were using the well-behaved toddlers as training aids for the handsy, rough ones. While one instructor went to grab my daughter's things, I saw another put sunglasses on a little girl and then put a boy in front of her, saying, "Gentle hands." He reared back and slapped the sunglasses off her face. I was heartbroken that I had sent my daughter there for two whole days without me. There was a clear negative change in our children's demeanor, behavior and mood after only two days here. The school is situated behind an AutoZone and a 7-Eleven. On the first day, around 10 or 11 AM, I dropped in to check on my daughter. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw two teenage boys lurking a few feet from the toddlers' playground fence. When they saw us, they scrambled up the fence onto an adjacent wall. My wife wanted to get out of the car to chase them away, but I reminded her that the school could call the police. When I went inside, the director was sitting in front of the monitors. I told her what happened, and she clicked around a few times with her mouse, and that was that. When we saw our daughter, we were upset to see that she was on the playground at the same time these teens were on the fence. One of the worst parts of this experience was when we asked for an exception to their disenrollment policy. We received a personal email from the owner stating, "Unfortunately, we have to follow the policy we have in place. Your balance as of now is $2992." This is roughly $1500 per day! She also called us, and after I explained the situation and mentioned we are a military family who made an honest mistake, she said, "Policy is policy." She did offer to be generous and allow us to make payments. MILITARY FAMILIES BEWARE: GODDARD HAS A 30-DAY NOTICE!!! Every other daycare in the area has a normal two-week policy, but not here! Other schools in the area offer something called Discovery Days, a free grace period where your child can spend time at the school to see if it is the right fit. There are many other issues I've experienced at this school. My son's Pre-K class is adjacent to the playground, and when we went to pick him up for the day, I pulled the metal door handle, and it slid right off into my hand! What if there was a fire and a kid lost the door handle so they couldn't escape, or even worse, an active shooter?! NOPE!!! Not taking my kids!!! The school has cameras but doesn't share the video streams with families. You may want a solid break from your kid, but in the two days of enrollment, we received only one picture of our son in Pre-K and three pictures of our toddler. There are many dirty, old, broken toys that appear to be more donated or recycled. The rug in my son's room was FILTHY brown. The school has one of the highest tuitions in the area but doesn't supply lunch, snacks, diapers, etc. If you send food that needs to stay cool, each class has a large, floppy, ridiculous zippable cooler bag to store food. Hopefully, with the $3000 taken from our family, they can afford a few refrigerators. There's lots more but hopefully you now have enough to make a better decision than I did for our family.

My kid had a great time here. His teachers were so sweet and generous with the kids. Thanks to…read morethem, he learned many wonderful things like a love of crafts, how to use his hands to do them, new songs to sing, how to share and cooperate with other children, how to play with other children, etc. I actually switched my kid here from another preschool because he was being harassed at recess and his previous teacher wasn't taking any action and refused to acknowledge there was a problem. We never had any problems at this school. We loved the teachers we had. And the director is amazing!!!

This is my child's second year at Old Bridge. She loves her teachers and leaves every day with a…read morefull heart and happy face! We have been very happy with both the staff and curriculum

Great caregiver. I would recommend to anyone with any age child. She has watched my grandchildren…read moreand several other family members and she does an excellent job.

As a single mom with long workdays, finding quality childcare for my son was one of the hardest…read morechallenges I faced. When he was just one year old, the daily struggle of getting him ready and dealing with the rigid schedules of mainstream daycare centers like KinderCare was exhausting for both of us. He was unhappy, and so was I--until I found Rainbow Children's Center In-Home. From the moment we joined, Taran created an amazing, nurturing home environment. She understood the realities of being a working parent and allowed me to bring my son in his pajamas when he was too sleepy in the mornings. The extra love, patience, and dedication she provided were more than just childcare--they were family. To this day, I still call her my "baby daddy" because of the incredible role she played in our lives. Now, my son is 13, and our families have grown together. Taran continues to be a part of his life, always providing a safe and loving space. Any parent would be truly lucky to have their child in her care. Unlike mainstream daycare centers, which often feel impersonal and unreliable, Rainbow Children's Center In-Home ensures that every child feels secure, happy, and cared for. My best advice to any parent searching for childcare: Pay attention to how your child feels when you pick them up. If they are smiling and relaxed, you know you've found the right place. Without a doubt, Rainbow Children's Center In-Home is the best childcare in Lake Ridge, Virginia. We love Tay Tay and will always be grateful for the love and support she has given our family!

Very disappointed in this place. They make a good first impression, but the teachers don't seem to…read morehave any awareness or training in recognizing and addressing early bullying behaviors in children. After 3 weeks of my son being harassed daily on the playground, leading to multiple meltdowns and severe anxiety, I called the teacher only to be met with hostility and gaslighting. After doing a little more research and calling around, I have found my experience is not in any way unique as I have heard of at least two other families that had to pull their children out for similar reasons, saying, "I don't know what it is with St Matthew's, but they just let the kids go at each other at recess. They'll be hitting each other with sticks and everything."

not sure what the reviewer above is talking about but this place is amazing all the parents i talk…read moreto love it and my daughter goes there and we love it

My daughter missed the cut off for kindergarten due to her birthday but she was ready to be social…read morewith kids and learn. I decided to have her attend the learning experience for the year. I can't say enough good things about this place. Ashley the assistant director always answered any questions I had and my daughter absolutely loves her. Ms Fatana and Ms. Belsie were amazing teachers. They truly love all the kids and always made my daughter feel safe and welcome. The school does little events throughout the year for the kids and they had a nice pre k graduation at the end of the year. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a step up from a traditional daycare. They have a curriculum that they follow so your kids are learning throughout the year. The only thing I think that could be improved is a little more heads up for events etc. sometimes I felt like things were sprung on you last minute like pj day etc. maybe sending out a monthly calendar etc

Amazing staff, a phenomenal and attentive Director, and a warm, welcoming Assistant Director! The…read moreentire team is caring, professional, and truly dedicated to providing children with a nurturing and enriching learning experience. I highly recommend this remarkable school to any family in the Woodbridge area looking for quality childcare and an exceptional early education for their child.

It took me a few years to write this review. My son went to FBC early learning center. The first…read moreyear when his teacher was a pastor wife - it was fine. Next year, Mrs. Verna started to literally harass my child - stuff like forcing him to carry a 8 pound back back (third if his weight), instead of using napkins to clean up his nose - swallow mucus (it's gross!) and other things like that. One day they call me in the morning to pick up my son because he is uncontrollably crying. I came to pick him up, they said he refused to go to the playground. He was at Mrs. Verna office on the floor uncontrollably crying. At home he said that Mrs. Verna dragged him to his office and told him he is crazy. He had a couple bruises. We asked the pastor to investigate what happened as they have cameras but he refused. He said that Mrs. Verna never does anything wrong. Instead the next day when my husband took him to school - they de-enrolled him without letting us know. They asked off duty police officer to escort my 3 y.o. out of school. We involved CPS but of course they could not find anything. We moved to another school and in the past three years we never had a problem there. I have never seen my son crying non stop for an hour, not before and not after this incident. To this day I don't know what happened there. I feel guilty I couldn't protect my son. The thing I know - Baptist Church don't care about you or your child. We met two more students/parents who went here and they had similar stories. And I question: why after so many years of existence there are no reviews good or bad for this school?

I don't like to write negative things about a church as they are doing God's work & they are almost…read moreall a positive place. However, there is a "right" church for most people & this one is not it for my family. So I'm writing a review just to let others know why in case they may have the same concerns/issues. We went here for a while a few yrs. back (3-4yrs) and really enjoyed it. The sermons are great & they have lots of activities & things for children. It is a very involved church & you can truly immerse yourself. If we got there on time seating was never an issue & I always got a lot out of the sermons. The music is contemporary & very upbeat. The people are friendly. Then it started getting more & more crowded. I have been "church shopping" for my family for about 6 yrs. now, since we moved to northern Va from Fredericksburg. Still haven't found a church like the smaller, family oriented, personal & very real church I left. So I decided to check out a couple others in the area. About a yr. later we came back to 1st baptist a few times. Holy moly. The population had exploded!! I don't know what they did but it was so crowded you couldn't get a seat unless you got there super early. Even when getting there early I'd go in the sanctuary & people had left their bible, jackets, etc. on seats to save their seat so we still couldn't get one. We would stand in the back, hanging around feeling stupid. The ushers pretty much ignored us. We then would go out into the lobby & sit at a table & watch on the TV out there. This happened 2 Sundays in a row. Many people, including those who worked at the church, passed by & no one even spoke to us. Boy did we feel out of place. Awkward! So that was it for me. Too many other churches to fight for seating & feel invisible. Really impersonal. I felt like I could go there for 2 yrs. and no one would know who I was. So, my search continues...... Again, on a positive note, the sermons are great & my kids loved childrens church there. The childrens church teachers are great. They are the only ones who remembered us. I think too many of these mega churches in the area focus so much on growth & missions that they miss the regular people & those who are searching & may be in need. I have seen in it many, many churches in Woodbridge. So I will look for a smaller church, where perhaps they'll remember my face, or actually call me/email me when I put in a prayer request.

The middle school failed my child this school year. There's a notorious group of students that…read moresystematically bully new kids or someone outside their circle and the worst part, these students are favored among teachers. Multiple complains to the principal resulted in NOTHING! Only a check mark talk with the offenders and the vicious cycle goes on. It's a disgrace that teachers only promote their favorites to win competitions like Science fair. The middle school drastically lacked any fun or engaging events, fundraisers or activities that encouraged team work and inclusion of parents. There was only one field trip throughout the year and no promised end of year concert that even public schools have. The end of year award ceremony was unfairly selective. Throughout the year we got Zero photos from any teacher showing a school day, so it feels like this year just fell out equation with no memories to look back to. There's no graduation ceremony for 5th graders either, which they truly deserve. Since the new owner took over, the school environment (especially in upped grades) is rapidly deteriorating. And it's not surprising, the owner lives outside the country and rarely shows up. My gut feeling was right when I checked the school website before we enrolled and it was generic. And that's how this year felt, generic! A generic website with no teacher names, stock photos of students, there's nothing there that shows actual student life or curriculum or shows any photos of the teachers. This place is about squeezing every dollar they can from paying parents, while failing on delivering the fair support and equal opportunities every student deserves.

This year has been a joke for my daughter. She said she's had the worst year since she started…read moreschool. She complained about daily bullying, degrading or disrespectful comments from some kids in upper grades, because apparently, teachers combined 5th, 6th and 7th grades in the same classroom. School administration is not properly addressing the bullying issue either and I heard the new owner is missing in action, never present and it shows. We as parents were never invited to any classroom event, where we could engage with students, teachers and other parents. There's also no student counselor on site, which upper grades really need. This school needs to step up with its upper grades policies, so every student feels appreciated and having the support the need.

I cannot recommend more highly. My daughter has been at Chesterbrook for 1.5 years since our move…read morefrom North Carolina. My husband and I were not only worried about the transition to a new state, but also transitioning our little one from a new daycare program. Luckily, those worries were quickly remedied when we saw the love and compassion the Chesterbrook leadership and staff have for the children. My daughter absolutely loves her teachers and the leaders there - Kristen, Lina, Venice, Nai'Kaila and Abhi have made her feel loved, special and safe every single day. Even more, she has come so far from an education and social standpoint. At 3 yrs old she is funny and confident, knows her ABCs, can count from 1-30 in English and Spanish, her shapes and so much more. I will never be able to thank these wonderful people enough!!!

We've been taking our son to CBA in Lakeridge since he was 7 months old, and it's hard to believe…read morehe is almost 3 now. I cannot express how grateful I am for the care and attention he receives there. He has learned so much since he started, including getting a head start on potty training. The entire staff is incredibly nurturing and attentive, ensuring that each child feels safe and valued. He began school with Ms. Janae and Ms. Shauntae, who cheered him on as he started to crawl and walk. Now, he's absolutely obsessed with his favorites, Ms. Venice and Ms. Nai'Kaila, as he learns to sing songs, all his colors, the best dances, and practicing writing his name. Communication from the staff is excellent; they provide regular updates on my son's progress and are always open to discussing any concerns I might have. Ms. Kristen and Ms. Lina welcome all parents and children like family. Overall, it has been a wonderful experience, and I feel confident that my son is in great hands!

I regret enrolling my daughter here. Despite committing early (touring in Feb 2024, paying a…read moredeposit, and submitting all forms), the school's lack of communication, disorganization, and disregard for basic safety and hygiene created a deeply frustrating and emotionally exhausting year. From misplaced incident reports and unaddressed injuries, to administrative errors and tone-deaf leadership, this school consistently failed to provide a safe, transparent, and developmentally supportive environment. My daughter came home with swollen lips, unexplained bruises, missing shoes, and stories of peer mistreatment -- with no formal documentation provided, despite repeated requests. These were not isolated events; I have video/photo documentation, and other parents voiced similar concerns in meetings. The director's conduct was both inappropriate and hypocritical -- once sending me a photo of my 3-year-old with paper in her mouth and demanding I "talk to her about telling the truth" over a harmless joke (gum from dad), while gaslighting parents about emails that were never sent. We were made to feel like the problem, when in reality the school's tech systems, operations, and staffing plans were simply broken. Staffing was unstable -- the lead teacher left for maternity leave with no real succession plan. Parents were informed of changes through hallway gossip before any official notice. Other red flags included: * Poor nap hygiene (child's skin broke out); * No proper underwear/clean clothes sent home; * Unsafe food handling policies; * Lost orthopedic shoes due to mishandling after an accident -- only replaced after escalation; * Inconsistent behavioral reporting, with my child being singled out for normal 3-year-old behavior, while aggressive peer behavior went unaddressed all year. The school showed a lack of respect for working parents, sending critical updates (like school closures) late at night and offering no accessible options for required events (no childcare, no virtual options, last-minute notices). They ran meetings on free Zoom accounts that cut off mid-call, used free Gmail accounts, and misunderstood basic tools like unlisted YouTube links. My concerns were dismissed, incident reports were never filed, and when I reported this to the county, I was told it was "too late." Given how long and hard I tried to resolve these issues internally -- and my documentation of events -- this only added to the heartbreak. In hindsight, I should have trusted my gut and pulled my child out much earlier. If you're a parent considering this school, please ask hard questions about staff turnover, behavior policies, safety reporting, and operational transparency. And if something feels off -- trust yourself.

Will only state the facts that lead to this review…read more.. In preparation for our move to VA this year, my family and I have been searching for a suitable Montessori school within this area. After speaking with Cardinal several times via the phone we felt that this might be a great option. A few weeks ago, my wife had scheduled a school tour and staff meet with Cardinal's senior coordinator (not official title) to allow us to see a routine day at the school and view its operation. We scheduled the tour for a Friday, which we were told was not "normal" but would be allowed given the fact that my family had to drive 5+ hours to get there. The tour was locked on that Monday with a 0930 start time on Friday. We had no other communication from the school throughout the week and on Thursday afternoon, we hit the road after I had gotten off work and arrived in VA just after midnight. We were up the following Friday morning and arrived at Cardinal at 0910 to an empty parking lot, locked building, lights off, and no one on site... We sat, waited, and attempted to call anyone with no luck and no response. It was about 0930 when finally a car pulled up and a women was dropped off. She didn't engage us at all and simply walked into the school. My wife proceeded to knock on the door and was met by said women who appeared to be cleaning. My wife explained our situation to the women who simply laughed, nodded, and said that the school was closed due to a maintenance emergency. A few minutes later, another women arrived who identified herself as a teacher. We calmly explained how we were scheduled to meet with a Ms. Igera for our tour but had not been able to reach her or anyone else. The teacher looked surprised and quickly reiterated that the school had been closed for the last few days. She then pulled out her phone and said she would call the "school owner" who was already on her way to Cardinal. At approx. 0945 the school co-owner arrived and welcomed us inside. We explained, again, who we were and why we were there. She quickly apologized and then explained how the school closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to plumbing issues. They had sent all the students and staff home and were now back (Friday morning) in order to clean for the reopening on Monday. She didn't ask any further about the botched tour appointment, but rather tried to go right into her pitch for the school. At the end of the walk-through, we were on our way out the door when we asked for Ms. Igera to call us about the clear failure in communication. The Co-owner said she would, glorified her staff, and said she hoped we would consider them when we moved... Fast forward 2+ weeks later....we got that call.... And it was to schedule yet another tour at the school. Nothing more. The level of complete disregard, disrespect, and sheer unprofessionalism that went into this waste of time is truly astounding. For better perspective, here is a better overview of all my family and I sacrificed in order to simply VISIT the school and observe its operation. - late night drive 5+ hours after work. - pulled my 4yo daughter out of current school in order to see the Cardinal school and meet the teachers. - my wife is 7 months pregnant at the time of all this. And she had to make all these movements. - I scheduled a full day away from work to make this trip happen. - spent hundreds on gas to make the round trip. Along with paying for a hotel in order to stay overnight... The Cardinal school may do just fine in some things, but I find it hard to imagine what. The coordination, communication, and lack of accountability is frightening. To make a commitment to an outside family who is willing to spend thousands on the betterment of their children's care and education and then not even have the courtesy to communicate a simple appointment change is unacceptable. I would HIGHLY encourage any family seeking a Montessori program to move on and explore other options (military families or otherwise). I have nothing negative to post about the teachers who work here, simply the lack of efficient and effective administrative overview of the school itself. This was not a sophisticated encounter, but rather a simple and what I would image routine engagement with an interested party. If this is how they treat an unaffiliated party, how do they respond under higher stress situations? Who actually maintains the schools appointments? Who is charge of registrations? Etc... Bottom line, keep searching. There are other great options within this region of VA, as my family and I learned. So disappointed to leave a review of this manner on a Montessori related establishment, but title alone does not guarantee quality. I truly hope this review can bring about a greater awareness of the low standard practices at Cardinal.

Lake Ridge Kindercare has been our FIRST daycare experience as FIRST-TIME parents, and I am so…read moregrateful we found such a quality experience for our son ("B") only a few minutes from home. We enrolled him in the infant room at 8 months, and I had the common new-mom tears and fears. The Kindercare team immediately put any concerns at ease, from the center directors Patricia and Janelle who so kindly encouraged me through the first morning drop-off, to the team who was so attentive to rocking, feeding, and playing with my son (and even getting him to nap in a new place!) We love the pictures and updates we get on the Kindercare app of what B is up to during the day. B is now in the the toddler classroom and has celebrated milestones like walking, an expanding vocabulary, social skills, and at 18 months is already identifying letters and numbers. But the best review is the giant smile B has when he sees his teachers at drop-off! We unfortunately are moving out of the area soon so we'll have to say good-bye to this wonderful team, but that means there's an open position for anyone looking for a daycare center where their baby will thrive. :) We love you Ms. Dana, Ms. Norma, Ms. Devi, Ms. Kavania, Ms. Marisol, Ms. Julia, Ms. Indrani, and Ms. Karima!

I absolutely love this center! Ms. Patricia and Ms. Brandy are such amazing and hard working women…read more I feel so comfortable having my daughter attend daily. They answer all of my questions and are so patient with me as a first time mom. I couldn't ask for a better center and team working with and caring for my daughter. Every teacher is so friendly and professional! I am so thankful for all that they do!